Ocean Recovery Alliance

Ocean Recovery Alliance is a non-profit organization focused on bringing together new ways of thinking, technologies, creativity and collaborations in order to introduce innovative projects and initiatives that will help improve our ocean environment. 

This includes creating business opportunities for local communities when applicable, in order to address some of the pressing issues that our ocean faces today.  Ocean Recovery Alliance’s has worked with both the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the World Bank on their respective plastic pollution reduction programs, and has two global programs on plastic pollution which were announced at the Clinton Global Initiative (the Plastic Disclosure Project and the Global Alert platform).  The group also runs the Plasticity Forum conferences, focused on plastic sustainability and innovation for the circular economy.  You can make a huge impact wherever you travel, train for sports or enjoy the outdoors, by simply reporting trash hotspots that you see in or near your waterways and coastlines on the Global Alert app. When you see big quantities of trash and plastic waste, but you do not have time to do a cleanup, or you do not know who to call, you can be an engaged ambassador for our environment by geotagging the location with three images and some simple data.

Your posted hotspots then become information that stakeholders in that community can use to better manage, reduce, prevent and cleanup the waters and communities that you know should be clean. “See – Share – Solve” and help us to highlight the global challenge we face today of plastic pollution in our environment.  For more information on Ocean Recovery Alliance, or if you would like to help support our efforts, please contact us at info@oceanrecov.org.

Algalita

Algalita is a nonprofit organization dedicated to preventing plastic pollution.

We are the foremost experts on plastic pollution with over 20-years of experience working to understand and solve the problem.  Our organization was the first to expose the severity of plastic in our ocean after our Founder, Captain Charles Moore, discovered the swirling soup of plastic pollution in the Pacific – known by many as the Great Pacific Garbage Patch.
As leaders in the movement to end plastic pollution, we equip local and global influencers with the knowledge and resources needed to ignite true change in behavior, habits, policy, and beyond.

Our Mission is to lead the world to a plastic pollution free future.

Vision and Values We envision a future free of plastic pollution.  We’re vigilantly and wholly dedicated to inspiring change.  Our solutions are calculated and we never waiver in the face of multiple challenges or insurmountable odds.

What we do: As leaders in the movement to end plastic pollution, we equip local and global influencers with the knowledge and resources needed to ignite true change in behavior, habits, policy, and beyond. 

Our program objectives include:
1) Research - to collect and provide objective information that is used by scientists, educators, and policy-makers worldwide;
2) Science-based Education – to use environmental education to provoke action by bridging real-world science with real-time solutions;
3) Community Building - to help communities build healthly habits by designing and coordinating campaigns that address the challenges of today’s throw-away culture;
4) Changing the System - to drive change on a national, system-wide scale by forming alliances with partner organizations, policy-makers, and industry.

Accomplishments: Algalita is credited for sparking “The Great Plastics Awakening” in 1997 after our Founder, Captain Charles Moore, discovered the swirling soup of plastic pollution in the Pacific – known by many as the Great Pacific Garbage Patch.  Since this discovery, we’ve accomplished incredible things amidst this unbelievably challenging issue.
Algalita was the first to develop research protocols for sampling ocean plastic pollution.  We were also the first to analyze samples from all of the five oceanic gyres, and the first to pioneer plastic pollution research in the Artic.  Equipped with information from 10 successful research expeditions and having published 21 peer-reviewed studies, Algalita’s programs and initiatives have always been built upon sound, objective, and credible information.
On the policy front, our data-driven recommended action items have been implemented by policy-makers, industry and community influencers worldwide.  Algalita was instrumental in developing a comprehensive statewide action plan to reduce land-based sources of plastic pollution in California.  Our team worked with plastic manufacturers and municipalities to develop best management practices, and brought together stakeholders for a 2005 conference that involved scientists, government officials, industry and environmental activists.
In 2010, Algalita began developing an Education and Youth Leadership Department.  Now in its 6th academic year, our Plastic Ocean Pollution Solutions (POPS) Program has impacted over 225,800 students and 1,650 teachers worldwide since inception.  The program includes in-class science workshops, teacher training, field research opportunities, peer mentoring, and the world’s first Annual Plastic Pollution Youth Summit which has been the catalyst in launching over 146 waste reduction campaigns with schools in the United States, Australia, Bahamas, Hungary, Kenya, Lebanon, and Cambodia.

Beat the Microbead

Based in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, Beat the Microbead is an international campaign against microplastic ingredients in cosmetics.

We did build in 5 years time a coalition that is supported by 90 NGOs from 38 countries. We have been running the ‘Beat the Microbead’ campaign since August 2012. The objective of the campaign is to prevent plastic microbeads and microplastics in personal care products ending up in the sea. All large multinationals are still adding microplastics to their cosmetic products. Microplastics are pieces of plastic smaller than 5 millimeters in size that are linked to large environmental and health problems. We make sure to spread awareness and ask consumers to stop using products containing microbeads. With the Beat the Microbead App you can check if a product contains microbeads by just scanning the barcode with your smartphone camera.

Where it was previously thought that microplastics come mainly in scrubs, toothpaste and nail polish, we make people aware that they are also used in lipstick, mascara, deodorant and other cosmetics. With the help of consumers, the Beat the Microbead coalition is hoping to create a worldwide ban of plastics in cosmetics.

The use of nanoplastics in cosmetics is a rather new and worrying development. It makes it very difficult for consumers to choose completely ‘plastic free’ products. This is why we decided to change the burden of proof. Instead of consumers having to check and choose, we now also are asking producers to declare their care products free of microplastics. Plastic free products will be included in the new Zero category of the Beat the Microbead website and app. The brands that do not use microplastics can carry the ‘Zero plastic inside’ logo. In one glance, this logo makes it clear for consumers that a product is guaranteed 100% free of microplastics.
According to UNEP (United Nations Environmental Program), we are the first organisation in the world that has been able to effectively stop one contributory cause of the plastic soup.